


there's no better team

by SailorChibi



Series: Pokemon verse [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Coulson Lives, Domestic Avengers, Gen, Identity Reveal, Infinity War never happened, Peter Parker Feels, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Pokemon - Freeform, Post Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Secret Identities, Team as Family, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, all you need to know is that it's basically fluff, angst-free zone, avengers as a family, civil war never happened, dad tony stark, fluff with tony supporting the avengers in every way he knows how, only to the avengers though, peter parker is one such stray, peter parker is too pure for this world, pokemon in the avengers world, really it just won't happen, spider-man homecoming didn't happen, though you could look at this as a prequel of sorts, tony stark adopts strays, tony stark builds pokemon, you don't need to know anything about pokemon to read this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:59:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Peter Parker gets a pokémon.Spider-Man gets one too.





	there's no better team

**Author's Note:**

> Someone commissioned me with the idea that Peter gets a pokémon, and the idea just kinda went from there.

Tony collects strays. He also builds strays, though that's neither here nor there. In the wake of SHIELD's collapse, while he’s still trying to minimize the damage that comes from having all of those files dumped on the internet, he belatedly realizes that no one is watching out for the potential superheroes of the world. There's Xavier, but everyone knows that he's more about taking in mutants with no where else to go. 

(Once or twice, Tony actually finds a mutant first and, if need be, pays however much it takes to have them delivered safely to Xavier's doorstep. Xavier never comes right out and thanks him, but Tony doesn't need him to. This is something that doesn't really need thanks.)

He's aware of the Defenders, though he's never outright approached them - they seem to be doing just fine on their own, and he's pretty sure that none of them would relish an offer of help. Tony's name can just as easily be gold or mud with the average New Yorker, so it's better not to ask - better not to poke that beehive and risk making enemies out of superheroes that, for right now anyway, are doing an excellent job in helping to keep New York safe. Tony will not be anyone's supervillain origin story.

But when he comes across Spider-Man, well. It's so obviously a kid, working in sweatpants and a dollar store mask, striving so hard to good in a world where he’s in over his head. Tony is a bad man no matter what Steve says, but there are a lot of men out there who are badder, so one night he skips the team's usual movie night and heads out in the armor. He settles down on a rooftop where Spider-Man is commonly seen and only has to wait for an hour and forty-three minutes before the kid himself shows up… eating a churro, of all things.

Tony sighs to himself, at once resigned and amused. Kids.

The next morning, after they establish that there are no mutant tendencies and this Xavier’s won’t work, Stark Industries has a brand new intern after school and on weekends. Officially, Peter Parker has been hired through the intern program to work in the labs and get some experience. Just one of hundreds of kids that pass through S.I.’s hallowed doors every year.

Unofficially, Tony steals the kid away more often than not, squirreling Peter away to a private lab where they can work together and experiment without fear of prying eyes. Every once in a while Bruce joins them, but Peter is determined to keep his identity a secret so more often than not it's just him and Tony. They figure out the limits of Peter's powers and Tony builds him a brand new suit because come on, sweatpants? 

Spider-Man joins the team on their next mission. He helps Bucky to take down the supervillain of the day and then, obviously starstruck, shakes Steve's hand when Steve thanks him for the help. Steve looks over Spider-Man's head at Tony and raises an eyebrow, clearly amused but kind enough not to say anything. Because Steve, like all of them, can see the value in letting Spider-Man fight with the Avengers instead of his own. No one ever says a word against Spider-Man's presence, particularly after Spider-Man reveals that he can lift more than both Steve and Bucky combined.

A few people might have figured it out. Tony doesn't really care. He trusts the team enough to know that their personal secrets won't slip out. What surprises him is how much he trusts Peter, and how much it worries him to see Peter - painfully young at fifteen and a half - skip out the door with only a suit stuffed into his backpack for protection. Once he really sits down and thinks about it, it takes all of twenty minutes for Tony to come to a decision: every single Avenger or Avenger-adjacent has their own pokémon. Peter's an Avenger, so he really should have one too.

Or maybe more than one. Tony leans back in his chair and idly pets [Plusle](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/311.shtml), thinking about it. Peter's really the only Avenger who is focused on having a secret identity. His reasons are his own and Tony won't argue them. However, that does present a problem. Either a pokémon can be with Peter or it can be with Spider-Man, but not both because that would be as good as an announcement that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. That means Peter would be left unprotected roughly half of his life, and that's not acceptable.

"Two pokémon, J," he says out loud. Across the room, Dummy and [Minun](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/312.shtml) stir at the sound of his voice. Minun is sleeping on Tony's desk. Dummy's got his claw wrapped around Minun's tail. It's an adorable sight. Tony is suddenly grateful he’s alone, because he can’t stop the fond smile from spreading across his face.

"I'm already drawing up a list of pokémon that might suit Mr. Parker's needs," JARVIS says, because of course he saw this coming. "I assumed that you would prefer a flying pokémon for Spider-Man."

"Yeah, that works. It would be pretty hard for anything else to keep up with the kid. And I've seen Peter use his webbing. He can't have anything clinging to him or riding on him. It throws off his balance and leaves him susceptible to attacks." Tony strokes his goatee. Minun and Plusle ride on the armor's back and shoulders constantly, but Spider-Man needs his arms free. A flying pokémon is definitely the best way to go.

But knowing that one of the pokémon will be the flying type doesn't necessarily mean it's any easier to figure out which one it should be - the list of available pokémon is extensive, and now there's another game out which means the list has gotten longer still. Tony combs patiently through the lists until he finds Spider-Man's pokémon, and then keeps looking until he narrows down some choices for Peter. Like with Cooper's and Lila's pokémon, he's looking for innocent and unassuming. Something people won't necessarily think of as a danger until it's attacking. Minun and Plusle help him figure out the right choice, mostly by way of Plusle jumping up and determinedly closing screens with her little claw until only one picture is left open.

Tony pretends to be more annoyed than he is. 

It takes him a while to build these two pokémon, though the process is smoother now: he's used to electricity and fire and he knows how to best incorporate them into the small bodies he's building. But wings are a delicate process and this is especially hard since this particular flying pokémon is smaller than any of the other flying pokémon he's built before. It will be able to evolve though - both pokémon will, Tony made sure of that - and someday Tony will make that happen. Not just for Peter's pokémon, but for any of the Avengers who want it. 

At any rate, some three to four weeks after he begins, the pokémon are ready. Tony makes the final, minute changes and then stands back to see what happens when they come to life. His heart quickens in pride as the pokémon sit up, blink, and yawn, as though they've just been asleep instead of newly born. Minun, always curious, launches herself onto the table and starts poking at them. Tony can't bring himself to tell her to stop, not when his hands are full of his cell phone and the urgent message he's tapping out to Peter.

_Come to the lab now urgent_

He sits and watches the pokémon play while he waits for Peter to arrive. It’s Saturday, so he knows the kid won’t be long. Minun warms up to the new arrivals immediately, but Plusle takes considerably longer. She settles herself in Tony’s lap and growls warningly anytime the new pokémon get close, the possessive little thing that she is. Tony doesn’t have the heart to scold her. 

About twenty minutes later, JARVIS announces that Peter’s arriving. Tony grins to himself – Peter has to have used his webbing to get here that fast – and gets up, gently moving Plusle off his lap and onto the chair. He’s standing by the time Peter comes skidding into the lab, hair plastered to his head with sweat, looking around like he’s expecting an armed guard to be facing him.

Oops.

“Uh, sorry,” Tony says. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just wanted to show you something.”

Most of the Avengers would be pissed. Peter, on the other hand, never holds a grudge. He straightens up and beams at Tony, so irrepressibly grateful to be in the workshop that he immediately forgives everything and anything. It’s an attitude that is both unnerving and concerning: sometimes Tony wonders just how far Peter will have to be pushed before he snaps. Tony hopes they never find out.

“That’s okay,” Peter says. “I wasn’t doing anything special. What did you… want… to show me…” His voice peters out and his eyes slowly start to widen as he catches sight of the pokémon. Tony grins.

“These are for you. One to accompany you as Spider-Man and one to accompany you as Peter Parker.”

“For me?!” Peter repeats, sounding stunned.

“Yup. All of the other Avengers have a pokémon. It’s only fair that you do too. And I figured that, since the pokémon you have as Spider-Man can’t exactly follow you around when you’re Peter Parker, you ought to have two. Just to keep all the bases covered.”

Peter just stares at him. “You made me two pokémon.”

A little uncomfortable, Tony nods. “I don’t know if you’re familiar, but this is [Fletchling](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/661.shtml). For Spider-Man.” He gestures to the little bird zipping around. Fletchling is small enough to land on Tony’s open hands if he cupped them together. It won’t really help if Peter falls, which is a downside. However, Tony knows for a fact that Fletchling makes up for that in speed and will be able to keep up with Spider-Man no problem. An added bonus is that Fletchling is a fire/flying pokémon, which means that the first villain who gets too close will get flames to the face.

“And this,” he continues, “is [Joltik](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/595.shtml). That’s for you.” He leans down and picks up the fuzzy bug. It only has four legs, so it’s not a spider, but the running theme is clear. Joltik is a bug/electric pokémon. Tony took great pleasure in installing several canisters of Peter’s webbing (of which there are extras in Peter’s suit, for refills on the go). That, plus the ability to use the same kind of electrical attacks as Plusle and Minun, will make Joltik a formiddable protector.

“It’s so…” Peter trails off, looking flummoxed. 

“So?” Tony prompts, a little worried. Joltik does look kind of like a big puff ball, covered with bright yellow fur. Not the most manly thing to carry around. He’s half-ready to hide Joltik away and offer to make a different kind of pokémon when Peter finally finishes his sentence.

“So _awesome_!” Peter’s eyes light up with the kind of unrestrained joy that never ceases to surprise Tony. He holds out a hand and Fletchling chirps, alighting on Peter’s hand. Peter looks at the pokémon like it’s made of gold. His free hand actually shakes a bit when he lifts it and, so gently it makes Tony’s heart ache, strokes the back of Fletchling’s feather. Fletchling preens and lets out another little chirp, obviously enjoying the touch.

“You… you like them?” Tony says, just to be sure.

“Like them?! Mr. Stark, this is even cooler than the suit! Ned is going to be crazy jealous! I can’t believe you actually made me pokémon!”

Peter’s sheer glee is contagious. Tony finds himself smiling too. “Well, like I said. The other Avengers have a pokémon and fair is fair. Here.” He gently hands Joltik over. Joltik fits comfortably in the crook of Peter’s elbow, looking very pleased to be there, while Fletchling moves to perch on Peter’s shoulder. Peter himself is practically vibrating with excitement.

“But you made me two! Two!”

“I had to,” says Tony. “Unfortunately Fletchling will have to live at the tower, but you’re already used to spending time here as Spider-Man. And some of the other people who are adjacent to the Avengers, like Jane and Darcy and the Barton family, have pokémon too, so no one will think it’s too strange if you have Joltik. They all think you’re my protégé anyway.” He nearly choked to death on his coffee the first time Bruce called Peter that, but Tony has to admit that the title does fit in a way.

“This is without a doubt the coolest day of my life,” Peter says reverently. “Can we try them out?”

Tony outright grins. “Of course we can.”

They put Joltik and Fletchling through their paces with a mock pokémon battle so that Peter can get an idea of what attacks they can use. When the battle is finished and the workshop has significantly more damage than it started out with that morning, Tony hands over a pokédex, which contains detailed information about not just Peter’s pokémon, but all of the pokémon that Tony’s created thus far. He’s already sent an update out through FRIDAY to the rest of the pokédexes, though he doubts that anyone else has noticed yet.

“You even made me a pokédex,” Peter whispers. He points it at Joltik. The light on top flickers in recognition and a picture of Joltik flashes up on the screen.

“Joltik, an electric/bug pokémon,” FRIDAY says. “Since it can't generate its own electricity, Joltik sticks onto large-bodied Pokémon and absorbs static electricity.”

“It’s like all my dreams come true,” Peter whispers.

Amused, Tony claps him on the shoulder. “Take your time looking at it. I have a meeting to get to, but JARVIS can show you the way out. Plusle and Minun will keep Fletchling company. You can come back and hang out as Spider-Man tomorrow if you want.”

He leaves Peter in the workshop and heads downstairs to meet up with Pepper and Ninetales. It’s several hours before Tony gets the chance to return to the workshop; Peter’s long gone, but Tony finds Plusle and Minun huddled around an honest-to-god nest. It’s been constructed out of what appears to be scavenged metal, foam, and the remains of an old MIT sweatshirt Tony stole from Rhodey. Fletchling is roosting in the middle of the nest and chirps happily when upon seeing him.

“He made you a nest,” Tony says, aiming for disbelief but missing by a mile. It comes out utterly fond instead. He doesn’t know why he was worried about showing the pokémon to Peter. Peter’s the one person who has always adored everything Tony makes for him (though admittedly, he was less happy about the Training Wheels Protocol), and never fails to be shocked that Tony takes the time to do it.

Fletchling twitters, fluffing its wings. Tony smiles and holds a hand out, letting Fletchling hop up onto his wrist and then flutter to his shoulder. He hefts the nest up – its heavy, but not unmanageable – and walks over to the elevator. Plusle and Minun come skittering after him, winding around his legs. That’s the scene that greets Steve, Bruce and Thor when the doors open on the common floor.

There’s a pause, and then Steve says, “You made another pokémon.” He sounds like he’s trying not to laugh.

“It’s for Spider-Man,” Tony says, ignoring the smiles. He’s getting used to having pokémon riding or sitting on him, and that’s not confined to just Minun and Plusle. Last movie night, Sam’s [Growlithe](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/058.shtml) spent two hours nuzzled up so close to Tony’s side that Tony was soaked with sweat by the time the movie was done.

“You made Spider-Man a pokémon?” Bruce says. “That was very kind of you.”

“He’s an Avenger, right?” Tony walks over to the table by the window. Right now it houses a vase full of Natasha’s and Laura’s favorite flowers, but there’s ample room for Fletchling’s nest. He gently sets the nest down and tweaks it a little – Peter made the sides straight, but he knows that most birds prefer a rounded bottom for better support, so he shifts some of the foam around. Fletchling observes this closely, then hops down Tony’s arm and into the nest as soon as he’s done. 

“You’re so amazing,” Steve says, right in Tony’s ear, and Tony jumps. For a big man, Steve can move very quietly. He takes a quick look around and realizes that Bruce and Thor are gone.

“I’m really not. It just made sense,” Tony says, uncertain how to handle the very fond smile currently being directed at him. His heart stutters when Steve just smiles wider and takes his hand, enfolding their fingers together. 

“How about a late dinner?” he suggests.

Tony blinks. “It’s almost midnight.”

“But you haven’t eaten,” Steve says knowingly, to which Tony just shrugs. “That’s what I thought. Come on. We’ll order take out and you can tell me about this new pokémon.”

The fact that Steve wants to know and actually listens is still something of a surprise, which Tony is careful to hide. Still, his stomach is growling and Steve’s grip is warm and sure in a very pleasing way, so it’s not too much of a hardship to nod and follow Steve into the kitchen. Plusle and Minun join them; [Braviary](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/628.shtml), Tony notices, opts to stay with Fletchling, apparently very curious about this new bird pokémon in their midst.

Building pokémon is all well and good. There is just one, very obvious problem that somehow, Tony didn’t see. It happens about three weeks after he builds Fletchling and Joltik. Peter’s reports about the new lack of bullying thanks to Joltik just make Tony smirk, and Fletchling is proving to be very handy in battle and more than capable of keeping up with Spider-Man (not to mention Fletchling’s so small that it would be hard to trap it anywhere, and that means if Spider-Man ever gets stuck Fletchling can get help. Tony’s not sure if Peter makes that connection, but the teary way Peter looks at him after that first battle suggests that he has).

Peter comes to the tower to work on a project. Time slips away and before Tony knows it, it’s way past supper. He can’t send the kid home hungry, so he slings an arm around Peter’s shoulders and leads him up to the common floor, Joltik in Peter’s arms and Minun and Plusle on Tony’s shoulders. They’re deep in conversation when the doors slide open and neither one of them is really paying attention until Fletchling, thrilled to bits, alights on Peter’s shoulder and starts preening his hair.

Natasha, Clint, Lila Barton, Pietro, Vision, Coulson, and Steve all stare at them in silence. There’s a moment wherein Tony think that they can play it off. Fletchling’s already proved to be notoriously friendly, so it’s not beyond the realm of thought that it’s just greeting Peter – but now Fletchling is hopping down and Peter’s lifting an arm automatically to let Fletchling land on his wrist, where Joltik greets its partner quite happily, and he can see the instant where Steve, Clint, Coulson and Natasha all come to the same (unfortunately correct) conclusion.

“I _knew_ it,” Clint says suddenly. “I knew you were Spider-Man.”

“No, he’s not,” Tony says, chest going tight. Shit shit shit. His brain races, trying to come up with a feasible excuse.

Clint just looks at him. “Yes, he is.”

“No, he’s not. Peter helped me to build them so –”

“Yes, he is, and no, he didn’t” Clint says, cutting off the lame excuse. Tony opens his mouth to try again, but Peter cuts him off.

“It’s okay, Mr. Stark,” he says quietly. “I kind of expected this to happen eventually, though I was hoping it wouldn’t happen so soon.”

_Shit_. Tony feels about an inch tall. When he approached Peter in the first place, he’d promised that Peter’s identity could remain a secret. It would be something new for the Avengers, but since Spider-Man didn’t live in the tower he thought it could be done. That lasted all of… what, three months? Maybe a little more? He wants to lay down on the floor and just give up. He shouldn’t have made Peter any pokémon.

“You’re Spider-Man,” Steve says, very gently.

“I am.” Peter tips his chin up a bit, looking so goddamn determined that it hurts.

“You should know,” says Coulson, “that everyone who enters the top few floors of Avengers Tower has to sign a confidentiality agreement. No one can reveal what happens up here without facing severe legal punishment. Not that anyone would, but it’s an extra bit of security to put your mind at ease. No one will learn Spider-Man’s true identity from any of the Avengers, SHIELD or anyone else you may come into contact with here.”

A little of the tension drains out of Peter’s shoulders. “Thank you. That’s good to know.”

“You owe me ten bucks,” Clint says to Pietro, holding a hand out expectantly.

“Wait, you knew?” Peter blurts out.

“Spies,” Tony says, daring to lightly ruffle Peter’s hair. “It’s a pain in the ass trying to hide anything from him, Natasha and Coulson.”

Lila gets up from where she’s sitting next to Vision and walks over, [Slyveon](https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/700.shtml) trailing not two steps behind. “Can you shoot webs from your arm?” she asks, cocking her head in curiosity.

“Um, no. My suit does that,” Peter says slowly.

“But you’re really strong, right? Could you pick me up?”

“Yes.”

“Could you pick Aunt Tasha up?”

Peter’s eyes flick up to where Natasha is watching. “Yes.”

Lila’s face splits into a grin. “ _Awesome_ ,” she says, grabbing Peter’s hand. “Come watch movies with us!”

“Uh…” Peter doesn’t seem to know how to say no, and ends up letting himself be dragged over to the couch. The wariness is written across his face for anyone to see; it hurts to see the way he looks at Steve, clearly expecting to be rejected or thrown out now that Steve knows who he is.

But this is Steve, who is one of the kindest people Tony’s ever met, and the thought of kicking Peter off the team probably hasn’t even entered his mind. Steve just grins at him and says, “You better do what Lila says. She’s not above sitting on people to get her way.”

Slowly, Peter smiles. “I guess I better sit, then.” He sits carefully next to Natasha and yelps when Lila really does sit down in his lap.

Steve gets up and walks over to Tony, looking a little concerned. “You okay?”

“How long have you known?” Tony asks instead of answering.

“A while,” Steve admits. “Though I wasn’t 100% sure until just now. It was a suspicion and nothing more.” He glances at the couch, where Natasha is gently guiding Lila’s knees so that they don’t end up in Peter’s crotch, and adds, “He’s a good kid, Tony. He’s lucky to have you in his life. Coulson showed me some of the footage of Spider-Man before. Was he really running around in just sweatpants?”

In spite of himself, Tony smirks. “Yes, but I know a superhero who used to run around in costumed tights, so I don’t think sweatpants are that bad.”

Steve goes bright red. “That was – that’s not – that was different!” he sputters out.

“Sure it was,” Tony says teasingly, and Steve sputters some more and then drags him into a headlock that just as quickly turns into a hug. Tony goes willingly, laughing, and catches a glimpse of Peter’s shy smile from the couch. Natasha has her arm around Peter’s shoulders now, Lila curled up in both their laps, all three of them surrounded by pokémon. It’s a very good look on the kid, and Tony rejects his earlier thought. Maybe making Peter pokémon was a good decision after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
